LG, Whirlpool partially resolve row over patents

SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Yonhap) -- LG Electronics Inc. said Friday it has agreed to change the design of an ice maker used in some of its refrigerators to resolve part of a patent dispute with Whirlpool Corp.

LG will change the design of its fill tube in the refrigerators as part of an
agreement with Whirlpool, which will drop its patent-infringement complaint in
return, the South Korean company said.

Whirlpool, the world's largest maker of appliances, filed the complaint with the
U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in January, seeking to block imports of
most LG refrigerators sold in the U.S.

Still pending, however, are claims that LG infringed on a Whirlpool patent
related to the storage of ice through the appliance doors. A hearing on the
remaining claim is scheduled to be held in December.

In April, LG countered Whirlpool's complaints with its own patent-infringement
suits filed with a federal court in Delaware.